Orgeron talks QBs, offensive coordinator, more at SEC Media Days

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Ed Orgeron met with media at SEC Media Days Monday afternoon at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Here are the highlights of his 25-minute visit with the assembled media:

On quarterbacks…

“The addition of Joe Burrow has added to the competition we already have. We’re going to let this thing play out and let the best man win.”

On defense…

“Dave Aranda has done a fantastic job. We feel like we have the best defensive coordinator in all the land. We feel like we have two of the best defensive players in the country (Devin White and Greedy Williams).”

On recruiting…

“This is the best recruiting class in Louisiana in several years.”

On Florida-LSU rivalry…

“From what I know and my history with LSU, it’s always been an intense rivalry. It’s about an intense a rivalry that we have and we respect the University of Florida.”

On settling in after two years…

“We have the staff that we’re going to go to battle with. We’re more equipped to be able to compete in the SEC. We have 10 analysts as opposed to five last year.”

On Steve Ensminger…

“I was Steve’s graduate assistant coach at McNeese State on offense. In our first game against Missouri, he set all kinds of school records and continued to do a great job. I tried to get the best coordinator in the league and for our team, and things didn’t work out. (Ensminger) and I are on the same page.”

On Devin White…

“He’s a tremendous young man with tremendous character. He leads the locker room. He’s the reason we got to turn around our season. He’s done it before. We have a challenging schedule this year. Devin’s ready to lead this team.”

On win at Florida last year…

“It was monumental. He missed the extra point, and that gave our team confidence. What happened on the sideline is the leadership came through. The win (vs. Florida) catapulted us into the win over Auburn.”

On Jimbo Fisher joining SEC West…

“Jimbo’s a great coach. He’s a proven recruiter. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge. I have a lot of request for what he does.”

On Joe Burrow…

“We didn’t sign a (high school) quarterback in 2018. Bill Busch was on the staff at Ohio State, and when Joe’s name came up, Bill gave him an outstanding recommendation.”

On last two years vs. Alabama…

“Each game is different. You look at the first game, it was 0-0 going into the fourth quarter. We didn’t finish the game. Last year, we felt we could handle them physically and compete with them.  I think that was the first time our players felt that in a while. Almost is not good enough against Alabama, but a couple of plays here and there, we’re going to be right in there with them.”

On possibility of issuing injury reports in wake of gambling law changes…

“That’s what they have in the NFL, obviously. That’s out of my wheel house. If it’s something we have to do, I’ll comply with it.”

More on Ensminger…

“Just on a daily basis, working in the office, doing what I want as an offensive coordinator. I felt that Steve and I would be on the same page. He runs an offense more of what I’m used to. He’s able to adapt to the things we want to do as a staff. He’s an excellent game-day caller. He’s an excellent recruiter.”

On new NCAA redshirt rule…

“Every player is different. Their maturity level is different. We signed 22 freshmen last year; we played 20. Some of them hit that wall. A lot of guys are not ready to play, but they learn the system and then you can play them. It gives us more flexibility.”

On five new coaches in SEC this year and job security…

“I was glad I had my seat at LSU. You know the expectations are high (in the SEC). You know the expectations are high at LSU. You’re going to play against some of the best coaches. This is a tough league, but it’s why you come here.”

On graduate transfers…

“As soon as we had an opportunity, we had two scholarships left. We immediately started looking at graduate transfers at quarterback and cornerback. You’ve got to follow NCAA rules, but you’ve got to be on top of it. When they (officially) became available, we jumped on top of it.”

On making offensive coordinator change…

“It’s tough when you make a mistake. It’s tougher to admit a mistake. I needed to do what’s best for the LSU football program.”

On whether QB competition could carry into Miami game…

“We’d like it to be settled into fall camp. There could be a possibility we could play two quarterbacks.”

On what made Joe Burrow stand out…

“We had an advantage. Bill Busch was on the staff at Ohio State. Bill gave us an advanced scouting report and he was exactly right. It wasn’t until we met Joe, and the next day, we had a 3 1/2-4 hour meeting and talked football, and he was excellent. His knowledge of the game and his ability to run the offense … would add to the competition we already have.”

On Rashard Lawrence being healthy…

“He’s a difference-maker. He plays with great technique. We’re going to put him at some three-technique, let him get up the field and be disruptive.”

On what he needs to see from eventual starting QB…

“Day in, day out, operation and leadership. The quarterback has to be able to make plays when everything isn’t exactly right. I want this to be a clear-cut decision. I want our players, our coaches, to be able to see this in camp.”